Camp La Guardia tax status unclear

Friday

May 28, 2010 at 2:00 AM

Chester — Is Camp La Guardia back on the tax rolls? The Town of Chester Board of Assessment Review took up that question Wednesday night, as it looked into whether or not town assessor Andrea Nilon should have put the property back on the rolls, per a legal settlement two years ago.

John Sullivan

Chester — Is Camp La Guardia back on the tax rolls? The Town of Chester Board of Assessment Review took up that question Wednesday night, as it looked into whether or not town assessor Andrea Nilon should have put the property back on the rolls, per a legal settlement two years ago.

The settlement resulted when the county, which owns the property, challenged Nilon's decision to remove its tax-exempt status. The parties agreed to keep the property off the rolls for two years.

But Nilon failed to put the property on the tentative 2010 rolls she finished on May 1, she said. Town officials asked her to put it on, but the Board of Assessment Review must first determine if Nilon made a mistake or not, she said.

The return of the property's taxable status could spell embarrassment for the county, which recently demanded the towns of Blooming Grove and Chester pay back some $65,000 in sewer fees they collected for the property. County officials and attorneys argued before the board on Wednesday that the property is still used for public purposes, including recreation, sheriff's office exercises and department of public works storage, so should remain off the rolls, according to Nilon.

Nilon said the county would owe Chester alone some $200,000 in property taxes if the land returns to the rolls. A board decision on the property's status could come by June 16, Nilon said.